Come With Me
by Draven Star
Summary: AU. Also a somewhat older, not good story. Padmé doesn't know that Vader used to be Anakin, and he attempts to win her back before revealing the truth.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, or any of the original characters or dialogue from the movies.  
  
This is an AU story. I know that's pretty obvious, but if I don't put this note here, someone always leaves me a bad review correcting everything that's "wrong" in my story. I don't think that there's another AU like this, but if there is, it's coincedence. This is an idea I had on my own and I'm not trying to copy anyone.  
  
**Come With Me**  
  
**-::- Chapter One -::-  
**  
Padmé suddenly hated the three of them.  
  
She supposed that was a misguided hate - hating the messengers who brought the bad news, but they were the only other beings around, and since the man she really despised and loathed was not here, she wanted to hate something, and she did. She hated the dark red walls and carpet of this room, hated the windows, hated Coruscant...  
  
"Help you, we will," Yoda said.  
  
_You cannot help me.  
_  
"If you like, one of us will escort you to a safe place," Obi-Wan added.  
  
_Where could that possibly be?  
_  
"Why?" Padmé asked quietly. "Am I in some sort of danger?"  
  
"We do not believe so," Mace lied, "but since you were the wife of a Jedi..."  
  
_AM. I AM the wife of a Jedi._  
  
"...it is possible that Vader may want to hurt you, as well, just for your association with Anakin."  
  
_That association is a LOVE, a true, deep, LOVE that your Jedi Code forbids._  
  
"I suppose I should not go to Naboo, then," Padmé said quietly. She sighed. "Thank you, but I do not need your help. I will find a safe place to hide for a while."  
  
"Are you sure?" Obi-Wan asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"My Lady, there is one more thing we must ask you," Mace said. "Do you and Anakin have any children?"  
  
Padmé just shook her head. They did not have any children, and she was not even sure if she would be alive in the next few days.  
  
----------  
  
"Are you sure this was the right thing to do?" Mace asked Yoda. He had never doubted the wise old Jedi Master's decisions before, but this one made him have doubts.  
  
"Anakin _is_ gone," said Obi-Wan.  
  
Yoda nodded. "Yes. Told her the truth, we have."  
  
----------  
  
Two days later, Padmé was still alive, thought certainly not well. She had considered her parents, Sola and her husband, and her nieces, Ryoo and Pooja. The idea of returning home to Naboo and living with her parents for the rest of her life, spending her days looking out the same bedroom window that she had looked out of when she was a little girl, was not a bad idea now.  
  
It was not just her family that was keeping her from killing herself. As foolish as it was, she was still in denial. She halfway believed that some sort of mistake had been made, and Anakin would come to Naboo in a week or so, perfectly happy.  
  
To be careful, she had not gone to Naboo directly from Coruscant. She first took a transport to Alderaan, then to one of the Yavin planets, then to Naboo.  
  
Sitting on those transports had not been totally frightening. She always sat alone, in a corner, with her luggage. She wrote several letters to Anakin, and a few not-so-loving ones to Darth Vader, although she knew that neither of them were going to read the notes. Since she was not going to kill herself - not yet, anyways - she decided that one thing she could do was work on her drawing. She tried sketching Anakin many times, and the last two pictures were actually not that bad.  
  
Now, she was standing inside the front hall of her parent's house, a few feet away from the door she had just entered. Sola, her husband Darred, and the kids were not here. Jobal and Ruwee had not heard her come in yet. They were probably out in the back yard.  
  
Padmé felt sick, and slightly dizzy. She wanted to vomit, but that was not a good way to greet anyone. She sighed and tried to ignore the feeling.  
  
_What is wrong with me...physically, of course?  
_  
There was the sound of the back door opening and closing, and Jobal's laugh.  
  
Without thinking, Padmé called, "Mom?"  
  
"Padmé? Is that you?"  
  
_No, it's Darth Vader.  
_  
"Yes."  
  
_Vader...I'm going to kill you..._  
  
Lugging her two large suitcases, Padmé somehow made her way into the kitchen.  
  
"What a wonderful surprise," Ruwee said. "Here, I'll take those."  
  
Jobal hugged her daughter. "Did you get time off from work? Where's Anakin?"  
  
"I have decided to...retire..." Padmé said softly, watching her father leave the room with the suitcases.  
  
"Oh." Jobal was a little surprised. "Well, that's good, honey. You've been working so hard for as long as I can remember. Now you can relax, and you and Anakin can start a family, and...what's wrong, Pad? You look pale."  
  
Padmé was quiet until Ruwee returned to the room.  
  
"Is something wrong?" he asked.  
  
The feelings, the stomach-hurting and vomit-coming-up feeling and I-hate-Darth-Vader feelings were stronger now. Padmé moved away from Jobal.  
  
"I think I am going to be sick."  
  
----------  
  
The next few days somehow passed quickly, mainly because Padmé slept a lot. She still felt sick. She vomited every morning and evening, and her stomach hurt every other day.  
  
Once, when she got up to go to the bathroom, she noticed that all of the razors in her bathroom and sharp hair pins had mysteriously disappeared. She understood. Her parents thought she would hurt herself, and she most likely would.  
  
Sola and Darred came over once, but they did not bring Pooja and Ryoo with them. Padmé understood that, also. The girls were only six and eight years old. They did not need to see their aunt like this. She did not want them to.  
  
Finally, after five days, Padmé felt bad enough that she asked her parents if they would take her to the doctor. She quickly clarified that she meant a medical doctor, not a therapist.  
  
Lorreen was a Twi'lek, the same age as Padmé. The two had gone to school together until they were eleven years old, but had not really been friends. She was still happy enough to see Padmé again, although her own life was much happier. She had recently gotten married. Her husband was alive.  
  
While sitting in Lorreen's patient room, Padmé did not mention Anakin. She did not feel like hearing anymore oh-I'm-so-sorrys.  
  
"So, what have you been up to?" Lorreen asked her casually, while analyzing one of her urine samples.  
  
"Not much," Padmé answered quietly.  
  
"You look like former Queen Amidala."  
  
"Yeah, I hear that a lot."  
  
"She was a good leader," Lorreen commented. "I wish she would run for office again."  
  
_Not a chance_, Padmé thought.  
  
"Woah," said Lorreen.  
  
"What? Is something wrong?"  
  
"I'll be right back."  
  
That was not comforting, and it was not any more comforting that Lorreen left the room for a long time. In one corner of the room, sitting on the counter next to the sink, was a jar of unused syringes. Padmé considered taking one out and poking herself with it, just to feel something other than sickness.  
  
She had actually started walking over to the counter when Lorreen came back into the room.  
  
"I think I know what's wrong with you," she said in a cheerful tone.  
  
_Believe me, you don't.  
_  
"What is it?" Padmé asked.  
  
Lorreen smiled at her. "You're pregnant. You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend or a husband."  
  
"I'm _pregnant_?"  
  
"Yes." Lorreen answered. "So, who is he?"  
  
Padmé sighed, with less depression than usual. "His name is Anakin. He's my husband."  
  
Lorreen patted her shoulder. "Congratulations. Now, if you feel well enough, I'd like to go get an ultrasound picture of the baby."  
  
"Alright."  
  
----------  
  
Padmé had another stroke of luck when she and Jobal returned to the house. Sola and Darred were there. They still had not brought Ryoo and Pooja with them, but Padmé could tell them and her parents what was going on with her.  
  
While the five of them were sitting in the living room, drinking tea, she simply said, "I'm pregnant."  
  
Jobal dropped the cup she was holding, and the hot tea spilled and stained the light yellow carpet. She did not even care.  
  
"Pregnant? That's wonderful," she said. She sighed. "It's too bad that Anakin did not know before..."  
  
"He knows," said Padmé. "I know he does."  
  
Sola stood and came over to hug her. "This is great, Padmé."  
  
Padmé could not hold it back any longer. She smiled, an expression that had not been seen on her face in days.  
  
"And," she added, "I'm having twins." 


	2. Chapter Two: Birthday

( almost three years later )  
  
**-::- Chapter Two -::-  
**  
"Happy birthday," Padmé said, opening the curtains of her bedroom window. Morning sunlight splashed onto the floor.  
  
Her bedroom was a little crowded now. In one corner of the room was a cabinet with all of the baby supplies, and next to that was their crib. Jobal had wanted to change Sola's old room, which was right next door, into the babies' room, but Padmé wanted Luke and Leia to be close to her.  
  
"I can't believe that you're two years old already," she said, leaning over the crib.  
  
Both of the twins stared quietly back at her. Within the last couple of months, she had gotten both of them to call her "Mama" or just "Ma". Other than that, though, they had not said any words. Padmé remembered that both Ryoo and Pooja had begun developing a vocabulary by the time they were fourteen months old, and she hoped that nothing was...wrong...with her children. She highly doubted that, although she had always though that Force-strong children would be sort of advanced.  
  
She pushed the idea away. Her babies were fine, and she would love them no matter what.  
  
"What do you think of this?" she asked them, holding up a picture she had drawn last night. It was Anakin, standing near her bedroom window and glancing out at the yard. She had drawn it from a holograph of him that was hanging next to her bathroom mirror.  
  
During the past couple of years, her talent had increased. She mainly drew pictures of Anakin and the twins, copying her holographs, as she had done with the picture she was showing Luke and Leia now. Once or twice, while sketching a copy of a holograph that only showed Anakin, she would add herself and the babies into the picture.  
  
Luke started to cry, and Leia joined him. Padmé set the drawing on the edge of her bed. She picked up Leia, running her fingers through the silky, dark brown hair on her head.  
  
----------  
  
That afternoon, Sola and Darred came over, without Ryoo and Pooja. The girls, now nine and eleven years old, had been joyed to have two new cousins, and after Padmé found out she was pregnant, Sola and Darred let her see her nieces again, since she was no longer depressed and gloomy.  
  
"Where's Ryoo and Pooja?" Padmé asked. She, Sola, and the twins were sitting on the living room floor, on a white baby blanket.  
  
"They're staying with Darred's sister for the next couple of days. She has a daughter that's Pooja's age, and they love spending time with her," Sola answered. She gently ticked her nephew's chin. "Are you going to say anything?"  
  
Luke looked at her for a moment, then walked back over to Padmé. "Mama."  
  
"Come here," Padmé said, pulling him close.  
  
"Have they said any words yet?" asked Sola, holding Leia.  
  
"Not yet. They will when they are ready."  
  
"Speaking of ready," said Sola, "I wanted to talk to you about something."  
  
Padmé looked at her while gently stroking Luke's soft blonde hair. "What?"  
  
"You know that empty house next to Darred and I's? Well, this couple finally bought it. They have a son who's thirty, a year older than you, and--"  
  
"_No_," Padmé interrupted.  
  
Sola sighed. "Padmé, come on. You can't stay single forever. Luke and Leia are two years old now. They need some kind of father."  
  
"Do you think that I don't know that?" Padmé snapped. She had not really intended to sound so harsh, but she had already gotten this lecture before. "They do need a father, yes, but their father is dead. I would rather raise them on my own than marry some man that I don't truly love and pretend to be happy. How would that be good for the twins?"  
  
"It wouldn't be good," Sola agreed, "but--"  
  
"Sola, if I am ever ready to date again - notice I said 'if', not 'when' - then I will do so on my own."  
  
"I know. I'm sorry." Sola wanted to say more, but knew it was best that she just remain quiet.  
  
----------  
  
Later that evening, after changing both of the twins, Padmé put them inside their crib.  
  
"I love you," she said softly, reaching down to stroke Leia's hair, then Luke's. "Don't listen to what your Aunt Sola or anyone else says. All I need is the two of you."  
  
Leia was already asleep. Luke looked up at Padmé for a moment, then snuggled close to his sister and closed his eyes. Padmé smiled at them, then turned and went downstairs.  
  
When she came into the kitchen, Jobal was there.  
  
"Padmé, I don't have anymore milk," she said. "Do you want to take the speeder and go to the store?"  
  
"Sure," Padmé said. "The twins are taking a nap. I'll be back in a few minutes."  
  
But she was not going to be back that soon, although she did not know so yet. Not far away, about a mile or so, an Imperial shuttle was landing. 


	3. Chapter Three: Stuck

**-::- Chapter Three -::-**  
  
"No..." Padmé muttered. She was not halfway to Theed yet, and the speeder was making a strange sputtering noise. It began to slow down, then stopped moving altogether.  
  
She sighed and looked around. She was in the area between Theed and the small town that she lived in. There were only fields - the forests in the east were only visible in the distance - but she was still afraid. She wished she had just gone to the grocery store at the edge of her town, but no, she had to go all the way to that store in Theed, the only place within miles that sold bantha milk.  
  
_Hey, bantha milk is good, and banthas remind me of Tattooine and Anakin_, she thought.  
  
Her comlink beeped. She turned it on.  
  
"Hello?" she asked.  
  
"Padmé," Jobal said. "I know you're probably almost home now, but Leia just said a word."  
  
"Oh?" Padmé smiled. "What?"  
  
"I got her to say 'flower'."  
  
"That's great, and I am glad that you called. The speeder just broke down. I am stuck between the town and Theed."  
  
"I'll send your father to come get you," Jobal said.  
  
"Alright. Thanks."  
  
Padmé turned off her comlink and tossed it onto the seat next to her, then got out of the speeder.  
  
Suddenly, she heard another speeder coming from...the forest. Looking in their direction, she saw that it was actually three speeder bikes. Padmé wondered why they had been riding through the woods, but perhaps they could help her out.  
  
They were still a bit far away, but as she peered at them again, it appeared that all three of the riders were dressed in white, from head to toe, in some kind of costumes. They looked like kids who were pretending to be Imperial Stormtroopers.  
  
One of them raised his hand up, and Padmé thought that he was trying to wave to her, but then she saw that he was holding something.  
  
By the time she realized that the figures approaching her _were_ Imperial Stormtroopers, and that one of them _was_ pointing a weapon at her, he had already fired the blaster, and she dropped to the ground. Anakin was the last thing that she thought about before passing out. 


	4. Chapter Four: Interesting

**-::- Chapter Four -::-  
**  
Darth Vader had not thought of how Padmé would react when he entered her cell on the Star Destroyer. She might cry - from sadness or possibly happiness - or perhaps she would even attempt to hug him, if she did not find his armor and mask to be too grotesque. She had not cared when Anakin had that skeletal-like metal arm, before it was replaced with a more realistic-looking prosthetic hand, but armor was a little different.  
  
Sitting on the grey, uncomfortable bench that protruded from one of the cell walls, Padmé was beautiful. She was dressed comfortably in a long-sleeved black dress that stopped above her knees, with matching black boots. Her hair was down, except for two thin braids on either side of her face.  
  
Padmé did not know what to say to the man standing in front of her. She had had so many fantasies and daydreams of killing him in different ways. Now he was here, and she could do nothing. She was stuck in a cell. She did not have her comlink. The only remotely dangerous thing she'd had was a couple of sharp hair pins - before being captured, the two thin braids in her hair had encircled her head, and the pins held them in place at the back. Whoever had put her in the cell had thought of that possibility, though, and taken the pins out.  
  
"W-What do you want with me?" she asked Vader. She silently chastised herself for letting her voice tremble.  
  
"What do you think?" he replied.  
  
She sighed. "I have absolutely no idea. You already killed my husband."  
  
"Did I?" Vader asked, not surprised that she wanted to refer to him and Anakin as two physically different, seperate people.  
  
Padmé stared at the floor, not wanting to make eye contact with that horrifying mask, which had been the last face that Anakin ever saw.  
  
"Anakin Skywalker. He was one of the Jedi. You probably don't even remember him," she whispered, "with everyone that you've killed."  
  
Vader suddenly saw what was going on, and he almost could not believe it. Padmé _did not know_. She had no idea that he used to be Anakin.  
  
Actually, now that he realized it, it was not totally surprising. Obi-Wan or Yoda or Mace had probably described Anakin as being dead, without telling her the truth of what that meant. It was the truth from _their_ point of view, after all.  
  
"I do remember Skywalker," Vader told Padmé.  
  
She looked up at him for only a second, then returned her eyes to the floor. "I am glad you do. Thanks to you, he has a son and daughter that he will never know."  
  
_That was great, genius - you just told Darth Vader about two Force-strong children_, she thought. She sighed again. Now, not only would she be killed, but so would Luke and Leia, and probably her parents, Sola, Darred, and Ryoo and Pooja.  
  
"I am certain that I have killed many men who have children," Vader said.  
  
Padmé looked at her fingernails, pretending to be bored. "Wow. I am really impressed. Please kill _me_ now and get it over with."  
  
Vader almost told her, then, what had really happened to Anakin, but then another thought occured to him - since she was now with him again and already thought Anakin was really dead, why tell her now?  
  
He looked at his wife, and even came close to smiling behind his mask. This could be interesting.  
  
==========  
  
I'm moving, so I might not be able to update for another week or two, but I hope that you like this story so far. It'll get better when I update again.  
  
- DravenStar 


	5. Chapter Five: Planning

**-::- Chapter Five -::-  
**  
Padmé Skywalker felt sick, the way she had felt when she was pregnant. She wanted to vomit, although she did not think that she actually would, and there was that sickness combined, again, with wishing Anakin was here - alive, at least - and hating Darth Vader, and now, missing the twins and worrying about her family.  
  
Sitting in the cell for what seemed like hours, she considered what she could do if Vader was not going to kill her right away. She had made the mistake of telling him that she and Anakin had children, and she had been captured on Naboo, so he knew where Luke and Leia were. But for now, Vader did not know their names or what they looked like, or exactly where on Naboo they lived. He could most likely figure out that they were twins, she Padmé had implied that Anakin would never know either of them.  
  
She sighed. She really did not have much going for her, other than the fact that Vader might kill her first, and she would not have to watch or hear about her family dying.  
  
_The twins and I might be seeing you soon, Anakin._  
  
It was cold in here. The long sleeves of her black dress kept her arms warm enough, but there were goosebumps on her legs. If she had known she were going to be captured today, she would not have worn a dress that stopped only a few inches past her butt. She did not think that Vader was going to stare at her, although with his mask, he could hide it easily. She remembered a hideous, itchy pink-and-yellow dress that one of her grandmothers had sent her when she was thirteen. It had been too big and was quite uncomfortable, but she almost wished she had it now.  
  
_My children are in danger and I'm captured, and I'm thinking about dresses and hoping that Vader doesn't find me attractive_, she thought angrily.  
  
----------  
  
Inside his chambers, Darth Vader was thinking about Padmé, and what to do.  
  
He briefly considered her cell first. There was nothing in there that she could use to kill herself - at most, she could throw herself against the wall several times in a row, and even a suicidal person would get bored with that. Vader wanted to keep her in much nicer quarters, but she would definately think that was strange, and again, she could not hurt herself in the bare, empty cell. It would have to do for now.  
  
He knew that this idea was ridiculous. It would definately be best to go ahead and tell her what had actually happened with Anakin, but every time Vader came close to deciding to do that, something stopped him. It was not just the fact that Padmé would not believe him at first. He was not sure what it was.  
  
But once Vader _did_ win her over, and then told her everything, it would be worth it.  
  
She would not care how he looked now.  
  
----------  
  
Obi-Wan had not stayed around to watch Anakin fall into the volcanic pit; he had simply knocked him over the edge and then turned and left. Perhaps watching his old apprentice and friend dying would have been too much for him.  
  
The lava in the pit had been deep down, almost fifty feet or so. Before then, conditions in the rocky hole were not too bad. In some places, there were even crooked trees and ledges protruding from the sides of the pit. Anakin had known that none of those trees would be strong enough to hold him - he was over six-and-a-half feet tall, and weighed two-hundred-fifty pounds, all of which was muscle. But grabbing onto one of the trees had at least slowed his fall.  
  
The tree had held him for only a moment before the trunk begin to crack. Several feet below Anakin was another tree, one that was a little stronger-looking than this one. He aimed to grab that one after the one he was holding onto broke.  
  
When the trunk finally snapped, he made it to the other tree. This one was weaker than the previous, and it broke almost as soon as he grasped it with both hands. But it was better - right underneath it was one of the protruding rocky shelves.  
  
He hopped onto the ledge. It was several feet long and large enough that he could probably sit down.  
  
Below him, though, the lava was now less than ten feet away. It bubbled, and bits of it would often shoot up, as if it were spitting at him. More than once, his face was caught by these spits, which caused burns that would probably leave permanent scars.  
  
It took almost half a day, but he made it out of the pit, and not without more burns. He was so thirsty and hot that he took off his Jedi robes - he was not going to need them now, anyway - and the shirt he was wearing underneath, and tossed them into the lava. This caused it to spit up at him more, and several more searing burns soon spotted his chest.  
  
But he did make it out, using levitation and Force jumps and going from tree to tree until he made it to the edge of the pit. And when he finally reached the top, he found out that he was not even the first being to have escaped it.  
  
On a large, flat rock, several feet from the edge of the pit, someone named Jango F. had scratched the day he fell into the pit and the day he made it out, which was two days later. Underneath, it said WASN'T EASY.  
  
Anakin had a knife on his belt. He kneeled down to the rock and carved A.S. LOVES P. S. underneath Jango's words. It was the last thing that he did as Anakin Skywalker.  
  
----------  
  
Darth Vader came back to the present as he let the metal holders put his mask back into place. He did not necessarily need the armor to breathe, but it hid the way he looked. Not that he cared what anyone else thought, but it was sometimes enjoyable to irritably roll your eyes at the Emperor, with him having no idea that you were doing it.  
  
He kept his hair somewhat short, because of having to wear the mask so often. It looked similar to Anakin's hair when he was a Jedi, minus the Padawan braid and short ponytail. Burns were still on either side of his face and on his chest, plus a few faint scars from self-inflicted cuts that he had made in the past.  
  
Vader returned to his present problem - what to do to win Padmé over.  
  
He had considered telling her that it was the Emperor who had actually killed Anakin, or that Anakin had killed himself because he did not want to be killed by a Sith. Neither of those were good ideas, though. She would still blame him as much as she blamed Palpatine, and she would refuse to believe that Anakin had not fought until death.  
  
He might as well forget telling her anything about Anakin. He would have to make her want him, the man she believed had murdered her husband. That made getting out of the lava pit seem quite easy.  
  
Vader's hidden house - which was actually a three-level mansion - was located on a planet called Keelana. Once Padmé could stand to be in the same room with him, which might be weeks from now, he could take her and the twins there. Letting her have a bedroom there was not as harmless as the empty cell, but it would be different because her - their - children would be with her.  
  
----------  
  
For now, Padmé had no idea that Leia and Luke were in the small office next to her cell. There were only two female doctors on this Star Destroyer, both of whom were around Padme's age.  
  
They were friendly enough and took care of changing the twins and feeding them, but the twins were not happy. The two women picking them up and visiting them was not their mother. They cried, even when they were not hungry or thirsty. Although they were only two years old, they knew something was wrong, and they did not like this new place that they were in.  
  
But finally, by evening, one of the female doctors came into Padme's cell.  
  
"Hello," she said. "My name is Tahni."  
  
"My name is Padmé. Go away," Padmé replied bitterly.  
  
Tahni remained patient. "I'm one of the doctors on this ship. I have been given orders that you may stay in the same cell, with your children--"  
  
"They're here?" Padmé interrupted, standing.  
  
"Yes. Do not worry, I have been caring for them. As I was saying, you will be allowed to stay with them as long as I check on you often."  
  
"Check on me? Why?"  
  
"To make sure you are alright."  
  
Padmé sighed. "Fine. I just want to be with them."  
  
She was almost pleased when she saw the room that the twins were in. It was not comfortable - it was as grey as the cell she had just been in - but it had a sink, and Tahni explained that she had put some baby care items in the compartment underneath. The crib that the twins were in was ugly, devoid of cuteness or any other emotions, but there were blankets inside, and the twins were warm and safe. Well, not safe on this ship, but unharmed.  
  
"Thank you, Tahni," Padmé said.  
  
"You are welcome," she answered, pointing at a door at the end of the small room. "That's a bathroom. I'm telling you now, though, there's nothing in there that you can hurt yourself with."  
  
"I don't want to hurt myself," Padmé said as she picked up Luke.  
  
Tahni seemed to be almost kind, and Padmé wondered what she was doing on a Star Destroyer. It did not seem like it had been her choice to take this job.  
  
Once she left the room, Padmé said, "Hi, you two."  
  
"Hi," Luke replied.  
  
Padmé smiled and kissed his cheek, then set him down in the crib so that she could pick up Leia.  
  
"I'm sorry that this happened," she said. "But let's just be careful, and hopefully we'll get out of here soon." 


	6. Chapter Six: New Home

I was really bored while my Internet was down, and I wrote a lot of chapters for this story. I've uploaded three for now. Hope you like them :)

- Draven Star

**-::- Chapter Six -::-**  
  
When Tahni came into Padme's room the next morning, she was touched by what she saw. Since Padmé did not have any kind of bed, she had taken the blankets out of the twins' crib and set them on one corner of the floor, and she and her children had cuddled up together.  
  
Padmé, already half-awake, opened her eyes. She was quiet for a moment before saying, "Hello, Tahni."  
  
"Hello," Tahni said, brushing a strand of her shoulder-length red hair away from her face. "Are you okay?"  
  
"We are fine," Padmé answered, slowly standing. "Why?"  
  
"Just asking."  
  
Tahni put the blankets back into the crib. Padmé placed Luke and Leia, both of whom were still asleep, inside.  
  
"Can I ask you something?" she whispered.  
  
Tahni looked at her with blue eyes. "What?"  
  
"Why are you on an Imperial Star Destroyer?" asked Padmé. "You seem almost nice."  
  
"My husband is Captain Piett," Tahni said. "He did not choose to work here, either. But luckily, he was able to get me a job as a doctor on the same ship that he was assigned to."  
  
Padmé nodded quietly.  
  
"May I ask where your husband is?"  
  
"Darth Vader killed him a few years ago."  
  
"My condolences." Tahni looked at Leia and Luke. "My husband and I have triplets."  
  
"Triplets? Wow," said Padmé. "I think that keeping up with _twins_ is hard enough. Are yours boys or girls?"  
  
"Boys," answered Tahni. "They're almost five now. All of them live with one of my brothers and his wife, and they think that my husband and I are their aunt and uncle. But I call them a couple of times a month."  
  
Padmé nodded again, feeling bad for the woman and Piett.  
  
"Whenever we have a chance," Tahni continued, "we're going to take our children back, and then move somewhere quiet and peaceful."  
  
"Good luck," Padmé said.  
  
----------  
  
During the next two days, Tahni Piett and Padmé Skywalker talked more. The twins did, too. Padmé got them to say a few more words, and they soon began to greet Tahni whenever she came into the room. They called her "Tah". Padmé was proud of them; she had known that they would speak whenever they were ready. It was too bad that Jobal and Ruwee were not here.  
  
Actually, it was a good thing that they were not here.  
  
Late afternoon, on Padme's third day on the Star Destroyer, Tahni came and told her that Darth Vader wanted to see her.  
  
Padmé sighed and looked into the crib. The twins had just fallen asleep.  
  
"Will you take care of them if I don't come back?" she asked.  
  
"Of course - but I really don't think that it's anything serious," Tahni said. "There are four Stormtroopers outside. They will take you to Lord Vader."  
  
Padmé nodded. She looked at Luke and Leia again, wanting to hug and kiss them both, but did not want to annoy Vader by making him wait. She let out a sad sigh and left the room.  
  
----------  
  
The four Stormtroopers did not take Padmé to another cell, but to what appeared to be a hallway a spare hallway. Vader was not there, but seeing the Stormtroopers leave quickly told Padmé that he would be coming soon. Sighing, she glanced at the hallway's four large windows.  
  
As she stared at the stars, she wondered if one of them was Naboo.  
  
It seemed like forever before she heard the doors at the other end of the hallway slid open, and heard a familiar breathing respirator. She did not turn to look yet.  
  
Darth Vader left only a couple of feet of space between himself and Padmé. She did not appear any less miserable, but in a medical sense, she looked well enough.  
  
Padmé almost thanked Lord Vader for allowing her to have her children with her, but remained quiet. She did not like having to thank him for anything, and she still did not have any idea why he had not killed Luke and Leia yet, or at least her.  
  
"What do you want with me?" she asked softly, not expecting much of an explanation, or even an honest hint.  
  
"You will see," Vader answered.  
  
Again, Padmé was silent. "May I please ask you something?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Mace Windu told me that you were once a Jedi," Padmé said, managing to keep her voice from trembling, "and Obi-Wan gave me the idea that you knew Anakin."  
  
"What did he say?" asked Vader.  
  
"That you betrayed Anakin. Were you friends?"  
  
"I knew him well before I left that life."  
  
"Oh," Padmé said softly.  
  
"He spoke of you often," Vader added.  
  
She actually made eye contact with him, just for a moment, then turned back to the window. "_You_ knew about our marriage?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
That surprised Padmé greatly. Vader and Anakin must have been quite close if Anakin had confided to him about his marriage. Padmé wished that Vader would tell her more, but trying to ask him about it was most likely not a good idea.  
  
And there was the possibility that Vader was lying to her. Padmé and Anakin told each other everything, and Anakin had not once mentioned anything about a friend named Darth Vader.  
  
Vader touched Padme's shoulder, lightly, which quickly brought her out of her thoughts.  
  
It made her sick. She would rather have a venomous snake there, wrapping itself around her neck. But she did not want to anger him, and just froze. She thought about Luke and Leia, hoping that they were alright. They were probably wondering where she was.  
  
"Are you going to kill my children and I?" she asked Vader.  
  
He finally let go of her. "No. I am going to let you leave."  
  
"What?" asked Padmé. "Why would you do that?"  
  
"You will not be completely free."  
  
"May I ask what you mean?"  
  
"You will see soon enough."  
  
----------  
  
Padmé Skywalker acknowledged that Darth Vader kept his word - about this, at least.  
  
The next day, when Tahni came to Padmé and the twins' room, she told her that they were going to a planet called Keelana. Padmé recognized the name. Her parents had once gone there to celebrate their wedding anniversary.  
  
"Why are we being taken there?" she asked, picking up Luke.  
  
"My husband told me that you will be allowed to live there, with a few conditions, of course," Tahni replied. She was holding Leia. Padmé did not have any problem with her picking up the twins, since she mostly trusted her.  
  
"Conditions?"  
  
"Tah-Tah," said Leia.  
  
Tahni smiled at her, then continued. "I will be staying nearby, and I will bring you groceries and baby supplies and those things, since you cannot leave your house."  
  
"I am getting a house?" Padmé asked.  
  
"Yes. It is isolated," said Tahni. "This is the important thing. Have you ever heard of those transmitters that they put on slaves to keep them from leaving a certain area?"  
  
Padmé thought of Shmi and Anakin. "Yes."  
  
"I am putting one on you - don't worry, it's small and goes under your skin, and it won't hurt. If you go more than a certain distance from your house, you--"  
  
"Will blow up?" Padmé guessed.  
  
"No." Tahni laughed. "Not all of them are like that. Anyway, someone here will be alerted by the device if you go outside of that perimeter. It helps them track you."  
  
"Do the twins have to have them?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
----------  
  
The process of putting the transmitter under Padme's skin was not painful - Tahni gave her a shot that sedated her, so she fell asleep and did not feel a thing.  
  
Keelana, when they arrived on one of the Imperial shuttles, reminded Padmé of Naboo. It was a peaceful planet, although that did not matter much, since Padmé was not going to be leaving her home.  
  
A ten-foot-high wall encircled the house. Tahni explained that if Padmé went outside the wall, at any point, she could walk about four or five feet away from it before the transmitter under her skin let someone - Tahni still used the word "someone" without saying who "someone" was - know that she was trying to escape.  
  
While they were standing in front of the house, Padmé asked, "How far away will you be staying?"  
  
"It only takes about half an hour for me to get here in my speeder," Tahni answered.  
  
Padmé nodded, then thought of something. "Hey, Tahni?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"If you're going to be living here from now on, can your sons stay with you?"  
  
"I hope so," Tahni said. "I am going to miss being on the same ship with my husband, though. But I can call him every night."  
  
Padmé smiled. "Of course you can. Thank you for bringing me and the twins here."  
  
"You are welcome."  
  
----------  
  
Once Tahni was gone, Padmé and the twins walked through their new home. Despite the impressive stone wall surrounding it, the house was small, only one level. But Leia, Luke, and Padmé did not need anything fancy, especially after being on a Star Destroyer for the past few days.  
  
Whoever had prepared the house - Tahni, perhaps - had made it look nice. The walls were not painted, and all of the carpet was light brown, with furniture that was mostly black or dark grey. There was a crib for the twins in Padme's bedroom, as she wanted.  
  
"What do you think?" she asked Luke and Leia, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "I know that we don't want to be stuck here, but it's a nice house, isn't it?"  
  
"Nice house," Luke repeated.  
  
"Yes," said Leia.  
  
Padmé was pleased that a pair of two-year-olds could easily be optimistic in a situation such as this.


	7. Chapter Seven: Visit

**-::- Chapter Seven -::-  
**  
The next morning, while Luke and Leia were still asleep, Padmé went outside to the house's front porch. Behind her, she left the house's front door open, and had absolutely no idea that Darth Vader walked past her and went inside.  
  
Vader was not wearing his armor, which was why it was important that he kept his presence hidden. Right now, he had mainly come inside to see the twins. Padmé, he guessed, would take advantage of the peace and quiet she had before Luke and Leia woke up.  
  
Inside Padme's room, the twins were snuggled together in the crib. Luke's eyes were open, and he almost appeared as if he were trying to keep a protective watch over his sister. Vader did not know which of them was older. That was one of the things he would ask Padmé once she was more interested in him.  
  
For a moment, Vader made himself visible again. Padmé would close the front door of the house when she came back inside, so he would hear it and know she was coming. The only problem was that he would not be able to leave until she opened the door again, but he would worry about that later.  
  
"Hi," Luke said, looking up at the blonde stranger.  
  
"Hello, son," Vader replied, wondering if he should say anything else. The twins had just begun to talk, and Luke probably did not know enough words, yet, to tell his mother that a man had come into the room...but he and his sister were learning quickly.  
  
The front door of the house slid closed. Vader looked as his children for another moment, then made himself invisible again.   
  
When Padmé came into the room, he moved out of her way. So far, he was not quite sure if others could still physically feel or touch you while your presence was hidden, or if they would just walk through you.  
  
"Good morning," Padmé said, reaching down and touching Leia's cheek.  
  
"Mama," Luke said.  
  
Leia, still sleeply, opened her eyes slowly.  
  
"Mor..." she said, looking up at her mother.  
  
Padmé smiled. "Morning."  
  
"Morning."  
  
"After I change you both," said Padmé, "we'll go eat breakfast, okay?"  
  
"Okay," Luke said.  
  
----------  
  
Vader was standing in the living room when his children came running in, Leia chasing Luke.  
  
"Don't run in the house!" Padmé called from the kitchen.  
  
Luke thought for a second, trying to remember the word his mother had said last night, when she had been putting him in the crib and accidently bumped his head against one edge of it.  
  
"Sorry!" he replied.  
  
"Come here, you two. I want to show you something."  
  
The twins walked to the kitchen as quickly as they could without running. Vader followed them.  
  
Padmé knelt to the floor so that Leia and Luke could see a holograph she was holding. It showed Anakin on Naboo, the day after his and Padme's wedding, sitting on the black couch where the two had falsely agreed that they could not be together.  
  
"This is another picture of your daddy," Padmé said.  
  
Luke stared at the picture and pointed at it. Vader knew he badly wanted to tell his mother that the man in the holograph looked familiar, that he had seen him earlier, but he did not know the words.  
  
Leia thought before asking, "Where Daddy?"  
  
"You mean, 'Where is Daddy?' He had to go somewhere," Padmé answered, somehow managing to hold her tears. The twins were not old enough to understand what death was, and she was not planning to explain it to them until they were a few years older.  
  
"Where?" Luke asked.  
  
"Somewhere," Padmé said again. "He won't be back for a long time."  
  
----------  
  
Vader left the house almost an hour later, while Padmé was taking a shower. The water running inside the bathroom would most likely drown out the sound of the front door opening and closing.  
  
He was not in a good mood. Once again, he did not know how he was going to make Padmé want him, and as always, he almost changed his mind, but just could not. He would just be patient and soon, an idea would come to him, one that was better than making himself invisible and following Padmé and the twins around the house all day.  
  
Meanwhile, Luke's own frustration had gone away. For now, it was simple for him to understand. He had seen the blonde man - his daddy - earlier, and his daddy was not here now. His mommy had told him and Leia that Daddy had to go somewhere, hadn't she? Luke did not let it worry him anymore. 


	8. Chapter Eight: Cooperating

**-::- Chapter Eight -::-  
**  
Tahni came to the house the next afternoon. The twins were happy to see her; they had come to think of her as an aunt, like Aunt Sola. Leia wondered where Aunt Sola was, but that worry disappeared quickly when she saw that one of the things Tahni had brought was popsicles. They were different colors, shaped like banthas, taun-tauns, Wookies, birds, and lizards. Luke and Leia, who had not yet eaten popsicles before, first stared at them in awe.  
  
Padmé Skywalker smiled. "Why don't you two go into the kitchen, so that those don't drip onto the carpet?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Tahni smiled, too, but only for a moment. She might as well get this over with. "Padmé?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Outside the gate, there's a few Stormtroopers waiting. Lord Vader wants to see you again, on the Star Destroyer," said Tahni. She quickly added, "I'll stay here with the twins. You should be back before night-time."  
  
Padmé sighed. "Okay. But what about the transmitter on me?"  
  
"They know you're coming, so they'll probably expect it to signal them," Tahni replied.  
  
Padmé stood and went to the kitchen to hug Luke and Leia. They did not look happy when she told them that she had to leave, not even when she added that she would be back later. Not having much time to console them more, she simply added that they should be good while Tahni was watching them, and kissed each of their foreheads.  
  
When she went outside, the wall's gate was open. There were more than a few Stormtroopers waiting - Padmé counted ten. She thought that was a lot, just to escort one person to a shuttle and then go to The Executor. Vader must really have some sick, twisted use for her.  
  
As she followed the Stormtroopers to the shuttle, she wondered if perhaps she had trusted Tahni too quickly and too much, if maybe she was not going to come back. She realized she had forgotten to tell the twins, before leaving, that she and their daddy loved them.  
  
_They know_, she thought.  
  
----------  
  
Darth Vader had finally decided that he did have much choice - he was going to make Padmé his by threatening her. That did not please him, since she would only be tolerating him because she was afraid...but it could work. She loved Anakin, and believed that he would want her to do what was necessary for their children's lives. If pretending to like Vader was what she had to do, she was going to do it, because she was not going to disappoint her husband or the twins.  
  
And there was a chance that her pretending to like Vader might slowly turn into really liking him.  
  
Padmé met Vader in the same hall where they had spoken before. This time, he was already there when she came. The Stormtroopers left them alone. As usual, Padmé avoided making direct eye contact with the man who had murdered her husband.  
  
_And they were friends_, she thought, still surprised that Anakin had told Vader about his marriage.  
  
Another thought came to Padmé - Vader could still be lying. Yes, he had to be. Anakin's relationship with Obi-Wan was a little more rocky after Shmi's death and the beginning of the Clone Wars, but he still loved his master and thought of him as a father. If he had not told Obi-Wan about his marriage, why would he tell Vader?  
  
"Lord Vader," Padmé said quietly, not knowing what else to say. She was probably supposed to bow or something, but was not going to kneel in front of the man who had murdered Anakin.  
  
Still, she had to remain on his good side.  
  
"Th-Thank you for letting my children and I leave the ship," she said softly. She thought of how he had lightly touched her last time. Hopefully, he would not do that again. She was not sure if she would be able to stop herself from getting sick.  
  
"I thought that you would prefer it," Vader replied.  
  
"I do not understand."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Padmé hesitated. "Forgive me for saying so, but anyone would prefer to not be on this ship with you. Why are you letting my children and I be free, with limitations?"  
  
"You are still wondering what I want with you," said Vader.  
  
"Yes, of course."  
  
"I told you that you will see."  
  
"When?"  
  
"Perhaps Anakin did have more patience than you and his friends gave him credit for."  
  
Padmé glanced at the window, wishing that she were looking at the star-filled space with someone else.  
  
"I hate to say this, Lord Vader," she said quietly, "but I agree with you."  
  
"If you cooperate with me, then your children will be safe."  
  
Padmé sighed. She had been half-expecting this - Vader using the twins to make her do whatever he wanted. As much as it bothered her, there was nothing she could do. Anakin would be truly disappointed in her if his children had to suffer or die because Padmé was too stubborn or proud to obey Vader's wishes.  
  
Vader, catching those thoughts in his wife's mind, was pleased. This was easier than he had predicted.  
  
"What do you want me to do?" she asked him, barely speaking louder than a whisper.  
  
"Join me," Vader answered.  
  
Padmé turned around to face him, but did not look right into his eyes. "What do you mean? And please do not tell me that I will see. Do you want me to join the Empire?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I do not see how I can help you. I am not a queen or a senator anymore. The public believes that Lady Amidala is dead."  
  
"You are more useful than you realize."  
  
Padmé turned and looked at the window again. She was about to drag the arguement out more, but suddenly thought of Luke and Leia again, remembering how fascinated they had been when they first saw the popsicles that Tahni brought to the house earlier. It almost made her smile, but Vader standing less than two feet away prevented the expression from coming onto her face.  
  
"I will do whatever you wish," she said to him. "I do not want my children to be hurt."  
  
"You have made the right decision."  
  
_I sure hope so_, Padmé thought. 


	9. Chapter Nine: Leaving Again

Four chapters for this update. Like I've said, I was really bored when my Internet (and cable TV, as well) was down for over a week, so I did a lot of writing.  
  
Princess-Kinky: I haven't read any other AU stories where Padmé doesn't know that Vader used to be Anakin. I just guessed that someone else might have had that idea for an AU, too, so I didn't want anyone to think I was copying. I don't get my ideas from other people's stories (which I know you weren't really suggesting); I come up with them on my own. It's possible, though, for people to come up with similar ideas, which is why I put the note about it being a coincedence if someone has a story with a twist that's similar to this one. Thanks for reading :)  
  
**-::- Chapter Nine -::-  
**  
When Padmé returned to the house, the twins were taking a nap. She thanked Tahni for watching them.  
  
"I was glad to do it," Tahni said as they walked outside to the front porch. The sun would begin setting soon.  
  
"Are your sons with you yet?" Padmé asked politely.  
  
"No, but I called my brother last night and told him that I want them back."  
  
"I wish you luck."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
----------  
  
Two days later, when Tahni came with some more groceries and new clothes for the twins, she told Padmé that Darth Vader wanted to see her again. Padmé was not happy, of course.  
  
"Do you know what he wants?" she asked, helping Tahni put the groceries away.  
  
Leia and Luke stood nearby, watching them quietly. They liked sneaking up on people and spying. Padmé was not sure if she should teach them to not do that anymore, or if it could possibly be useful. But since they were not deliberately nosy, she left them alone about it.  
  
"Who does know?" Tahni replied. "My husband told me that he is going to Bespin, though, probably for the next couple of days."  
  
Padmé sighed. "Does he want me to stay with him that long?"  
  
"It seems like it. I'm going to stay here with the twins, of course."  
  
"When do I leave?"  
  
"This afternoon."  
  
"Great," Padmé said, looking at Luke and Leia. "Where, exactly?"  
  
"The Cloud City," Tahni answered. "Have you been there before? It's beautiful. Too bad that Imperial troops are showing up."  
  
"My parents and I went there once, when I was ten. Do you know why Vader is going?"  
  
"Something with illegal mining or shipping that hasn't been approved by the Empire, blah blah blah," Tahni replied, kneeling down to give two popsicles to Luke and Leia. "I don't even see why Lord Vader himself is going. Usually they just send a few Stormtroopers and a couple of officers to scare everyone."  
  
"Maybe he's bored and wants to torture me some more," Padmé suggested, lowering her voice. The twins did not know what the word "torture" meant, but might have a feeling that it was something bad.  
  
Tahni looked at her. "He's been torturing you?"  
  
"Well, not physically," Padmé answered, though she shivered as she remembered him lightly stroking her shoulder.  
  
"That's good." Tahni glanced at the drawings that Padmé had hung above the kitchen sink. "You're talented."  
  
"Thank you. I started drawing pictures of Anakin after I found out that he was dead."  
  
Tahni pointed to a small, square-shaped piece of paper that had a sketch of a woman's face. Her hair was dark and she looked as if she were in her late thirties or forties.   
  
"Who's this? Your mother?"  
  
"Anakin's mother, Shmi," Padmé answered. "That one isn't very good. I didn't have a holograph of her to draw from."  
  
"Oh. Where is she?"  
  
"She's dead, too."  
  
Padmé suddenly remembered that the twins were here. When she quickly turned around to look at them, though, they were gone. She heard their voices coming from the living room. Hopefully they had left before hearing too much of the conversation.  
  
----------  
  
That afternoon, Padmé hugged and kissed Leia and Luke before leaving, and remembered to tell them that she loved them. The twins had not been away from her for more than a day, and she assured them that she would be back tomorrow or the day after. They did not look happy, but nodded when their mother told them to behave while Tahni was watching them.  
  
Padmé fought to keep herself from crying as she left the house, and walked outside the gate, where twelve Stormtroopers were waiting this time. She still did not understand why it was necessary for so many to come and pick her up. Then again, she did not understand what Darth Vader wanted with her and the twins, or how her joining the Empire was going to help anything.  
  
The Imperial shuttle took Padmé to the Cloud City, instead of going to the Star Destroyer first. She did not mind; she was in no hurry to see Vader. When the shuttle landed, it was in an area of the city that seemed to be mostly restricted. Padmé guessed that most of the citizens had no idea that Imperials had come here.  
  
As the Imperials led Padmé to a room in one of the buildings, a dark-skinned human couple walked by. They looked a bit stressed.  
  
"We'll do whatever he wants - I just want them all out of here," the man said, putting his arm around the woman, who seemed to be his wife. "One day, I want our son to be administrator of this city."  
  
"I think Lando will do as good a job as his father does now," the woman replied.  
  
"If his father doesn't get _killed_--"  
  
"Don't say that!"  
  
_I hope that you do not have to go through what I have_, Padmé thought as the couple turned and entered a hallway. She and the Stormtroopers came to a stop, in front of a large white door. She sighed.  
  
----------  
  
Darth Vader felt a sense of relief as the Stormtroopers entered the large, mostly empty room. Cloud City was considered by many to be lovely, and it was peaceful; not a bad place to try and weaken Padmé. It was not like Naboo, but that planet had too many connections and memories of Anakin, and Vader had business here, anyway. He doubted that it would take long to find out what the Calrissians were doing illegally, and stop it. Then the Emperor would give him another chore.  
  
Vader was annoyed at having to be here, doing something that a few officers - or even a Wookie wearing a shirt with the Empire's logo on the front - could probably accomplish by themselves. It was a waste of his time.  
  
His frustration calmed as the Stormtroopers exited the room, leaving him and Padmé alone. She looked beautiful, as always, wearing a white dress that had long, flowy sleeves. Her hair was down, except for a few braids encircling her head.  
  
"What is going on here?" she asked quietly. She did not care to give Vader any fake polite greetings.  
  
"Nothing that is serious," Vader answered.  
  
"Illegal shipping and trading and things like that?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Padmé looked at one of the bare walls, as if there were a window there. "Then why are you here, if you do not mind me asking?"  
  
"It was not my choice," said Vader.  
  
"Nor was it mine." Padmé wondered if Vader had possibly dragged her here just to enjoy her company. That did not seem likely at all, but since she was stuck here, she could at least make use of it.  
  
"If it is alright with you, there was something that I wanted to ask you, about Anakin," she said.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I have guessed that you left the Jedi not very long before you began killing them all?"  
  
"That is correct," Vader said.  
  
Padmé hesitated. "Right before you betrayed Anakin, when you were still friends with him, did you happen to notice that he was acting differently?"  
  
"I did not. Why?"  
  
"It is not something I will bother you about."  
  
"If I did not care to know, I would not ask you," Vader replied.  
  
Again, Padmé was quiet at first. "Anakin went out sometimes, usually to speak with Palpatine, and he would tell me that it was important, but would not explain. I tried not to think anything of it, but I was curious. Did he say anything about it to you?"  
  
"No, he did not."  
  
Padmé nodded, looking at the wall again. She was not going to tell Vader the other things, the way that Anakin had seemed sort of dark, and angry.  
  
----------  
  
Obi-Wan and the other Jedi were not taking him seriously, still treating him like a nine-year-old boy that they all thought was dangerous. It was too bad that Qui-Gon had not been there to make them see that nothing was wrong. Anakin wanted to be a Jedi Master, the way that Mace Windu and Obi-Wan once longed to be one.  
  
One night, when Anakin came home after going out somewhere - Padmé was not sure if he had gone to see Palpatine or went someplace else - he seemed frustrated. Padmé knew that she should not have interrogated him about where he was, that could wait until the next morning.  
  
But instead, she made the mistake of snapping at him, when he did not even deserve it, saying that she was tired of wondering what was going on and if something had happened to him.  
  
Anakin said nothing, but he hit her. She fell to the floor, more from surprise than from being struck. Immediately, Anakin knelt down next to her and pulled her into his arms.  
  
"Angel?" he whispered. "I am sorry, I--"  
  
"I am fine," Padmé interrupted, as tears started sliding down her cheeks. "I am sorry, too, Anakin. I should not have yelled at you."  
  
Anakin took her hand and gently kissed it. "I understand. I know that I have been making you worry. But it is all for a good reason, I promise."  
  
Padmé nodded, and slowly sat up. Anakin pulled her close, into his arms. Her face was red where he had hit her, but there was no bruise.  
  
"I know," she said softly. "I just wonder what Palpatine is doing. That's all."  
  
"I do not even know all of what he is doing yet," Anakin replied. "But his...ideas are for the good of the entire galaxy."  
  
"That does not sound too bad." Padmé rested her face against her husband's chest. "I love you, Anakin."  
  
"I love you, too. I only want what is best for us. When we have children, I do not want them to be growing up with war and a failing government."  
  
"Neither do I."  
  
Anakin carefully picked up Padmé, and gently set her on the couch. They fell asleep there, both of them feeling better.  
  
----------  
  
"I hate the Jedi," Padmé Skywalker said softly, coming back to the present, where she was stuck in this room with the man that she hated so much.  
  
"That is something that you share with me," Vader replied, touching her shoulder.  
  
Padmé tried her best to ignore it. "Except that I do not hate Anakin."  
  
She thought of Luke and Leia, wondering what they were doing now. If Darth Vader killed her, she hoped that he would at least leave the twins alone, even if they were Force-strong. A pair of two-year-olds was not a huge threat to him or the Emperor, especially without any Jedi to tell them about the Force or try to train them.  
  
Vader touched her lower back now, almost at her waist. She shivered.  
  
"Why are you doing that?" she whispered.  
  
"Because I decided to."  
  
"I just had the craziest, most insane idea that you want me, now that Anakin is out of the way."  
  
"Would you do anything for your children's lives, Padmé?" asked Vader.  
  
"Anakin would be disappointed in me if I let them die. But I am also loyal to him, even if he is dead, and I hate you more than I have ever hated anyone else."  
  
"So you do not care if your children die."  
  
"_What_? No, that's not true!" Padmé snapped, finally finding some strength. But after only a second, she felt weak again, and helpless. "I will do whatever you wish, Lord Vader. I do not want anything to happen to Luke and Leia."  
  
"Then you will cooperate with me," Vader said.  
  
"Yes." Padmé sighed.  
  
_I love you, Anakin. I know that you understand why I am doing this._

===============

A small note...I know I said that I was going to write a With You 3, but I don't know if I'm going to do it. I can't think of a plot for it right now. But if I change my mind, I'll still write at least half of the story before I upload it. There's another story that I want to start after Come With Me is finished.

Also, Moonlight 3 is now up, for those of you who are reading that series.  
  
- Draven Star


	10. Chapter Ten: Scared

**-::- Chapter Ten -::-**  
  
Padmé Skywalker went with Darth Vader to a room where they did carbon-freezing. She remembered hearing her science teacher discussing it one day, when she was eleven or so. She had not paid much attention, but had heard that freezing was mainly to protect items that were being shipped. Freezing living creatures was very risky.  
  
As she and Vader entered the dark room, she actually worried for a moment that he wanted _her_ to be frozen. But considering that he wanted her in a romantic sense, for whatever twisted and sick reason, she doubted that he would have her put into carbonite.  
  
The two of them stood together on a raised section of the room, watching the men below. Some of the Imperial officers seemed to be inspecting everything that the miners were freezing.  
  
Padmé shivered as Vader touched her back. She wanted to vomit and cry at the same time.  
  
Trying to ignore it, she thought about Leia and Luke. It was probably past their bedtime now - Padmé was not wearing a chronowatch - and they were most likely asleep. She pictured Leia snuggled next to her twin, her face buried in his shoulder. It seemed as if Luke was already trying to be a protective big brother. Whenever the twins tried something new, such as the popsicles the other day, Leia always waited until Luke did it first.  
  
Padmé trembled as Vader slid his arm around her waist.  
  
Below, the workers and Stormtroopers were starting to leave the room. Within a couple of minutes, Vader and Padmé were alone again.  
  
"I feel so cold," Anakin's wife said softly.  
  
Vader knew that she was not talking about the room's temperature. "You always do."  
  
"When I am with you, yes." Padmé glanced down at the area where the workers had been. "How could you kill someone who was your friend? All of your friends?"  
  
"Anakin understood why I killed him," Vader said, finally removing his arm from Padme's waist. "Come with me."  
  
"I doubt that," she replied as they began walking. "If you were such good friends, I think that you might have had enough mercy left in you to at least spare his life."  
  
"The Jedi had to be destroyed. Your husband knew that they were beginning to ruin themselves."  
  
"I refuse to believe that Anakin agreed with that."  
  
"He understood it from my point of view."  
  
"I do admit that that sounds like my husband. He was very understanding."  
  
They were both quiet for the next few minutes, aside from Vader's breathing, as they walked some more. Padmé wondered where they were going, but did not ask.   
  
When they finally stopped, she saw that there was a large area of open space ahead of them, it appeared that they were at the edge of a large balcony. It was not very comforting when they walked along the large, disc-shaped area that projected into the pit. They paused in front of a thin platform, and Padmé turned to Vader. She would have to stand close to him, since the edge of the bridge was only several inches from her back.  
  
Feeling trapped, she asked, "W-Why are we here, Lord Vader?"  
  
He did not reply, and she suddenly realized that she was probably not going to see Luke and Leia again. 


	11. Chapter Eleven: Truth

**-::- Chapter Eleven -::-  
**  
"Y-You are going to push me over, aren't you?" Padmé asked.  
  
"That is not necessary," Darth Vader replied. "I have a lightsaber. If you wish to negotiate aggressively, it will be your choice."  
  
_"Aggressive negotiations? What's that?"  
  
"Negotiations with a lightsaber."_  
  
"I would rather kill myself than be killed by you," Padmé said, somehow finding a little defiance.  
  
Vader did not like the position that they were in right now. His wife was standing only a few inches away from him - the narrow bridge did not give her much choice. He could reach for her quickly enough if she _did_ try to jump over the edge, but the risk still bothered him.  
  
"I did not say that I was going to kill you," he said.  
  
"Well, I know that you are," Padmé replied, briefly forgetting about the twins. "I do not even really believe that you were friends with my husband. It was stupid of me to fall for that. You ruined my life, and I hate to even be within your range of vision."  
  
Luke and Leia came to her mind as soon as she finished saying the words, but it was too late. Padmé hoped that Vader would at least kill them, rather than train them to become evil slaves of the Emperor who wasted their lives the way that their father's killer was wasting his.  
  
"If that is your wish," Vader said, "I will grant it. You should have joined me."  
  
Padmé backed away until she was just an inch - maybe less - away from the rail of the bridge.  
  
"I will never join you," she whispered.  
  
"You do not know my power, or the power of the Dark Side. If you are at my side, you will have everything that you have not yet dreamed of."  
  
Tears were starting to slide down Padme's cheeks, but she managed to keep her voice steady. "The only thing that I want is my children, and to have Anakin back! You have already taken both of those from me. What makes you think that I would possibly even consider joining you?"  
  
"Because Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your husband."  
  
Padmé finally looked up at Darth Vader, making direct eye contact. She wanted her sad eyes to still be haunting him years from now.  
  
"He told me enough, Lord Vader. He told me that you killed him."  
  
Vader looked back at her. "No. _I_ am your husband." 


	12. Chapter Twelve: And Disbelief

**-::- Chapter Twelve -::-  
**  
"No!" Padmé screamed. "That isn't true!"  
  
Darth Vader was relieved when, instead of jumping over the rail of the bridge, his wife went past him, quickly going back in the direction that they had come from. She would not get far. The long dress she was wearing made it difficult to run.  
  
Padmé was less than ten feet from Vader when he raised his hand and she froze, finding herself unable to move.  
  
Tears were flooding from her eyes now, and she wanted to cover her face, but she could not lift her hands. Vader slid both of his arms around her waist this time, which only made her cry more, instead of wanting to be sick. She shivered. Her body momentarily relaxed as the invisible hold released her, but Vader was still holding her, and she did not attempt to struggle with him. He was much stronger than she was.  
  
"W-Why are you doing this to me? My husband is dead," Padmé told him softly.  
  
"I am your husband, Padmé. If you do not believe it now, then you will," Vader replied.  
  
"Anakin Skywalker is my husband."  
  
"I was Anakin. As I have mentioned before, I left that life."  
  
"Anakin never would have left me."  
  
"I never intended to leave you," Vader said.  
  
"Th-Then why would Anakin leave me if he really did become you?" Padmé asked.  
  
Vader pulled her just a little closer. "It was necessary for your protection. I waited until the right time to come for you, and now you are with me."  
  
Padmé was quiet at first, then said, "Prove it. What does my tattoo look like?"  
  
"It is a heart, located on your chest."  
  
"Anakin could have told you that."  
  
"You said you did not believe that I was his friend."  
  
"I'll believe that rather than believe that you _are_ him," Padmé replied.  
  
"Would you like to return to your home?" asked Vader.  
  
"Very much so."

===============

This story sucks now, I know, especially since Vader revealed himself so quickly. Hopefully chapters 13 and 14 will have a good explanation of why. Thanks for the reviews :)  
  
- Draven Star


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Understanding

**-::- Chapter Thirteen -::-**  
  
It was almost midnight when Padmé entered the gate of the wall surrounding her house. She was relieved when she saw that everything looked normal, nothing damaged. When Darth Vader had actually asked her if she wished to go back, she thought that she might come here and find that the house had been burned or something.  
  
Tahni must have been notified that Padmé was returning early. She was sitting outside on the porch.  
  
"How horrible was it?" she asked, standing.  
  
"_Very_," Padmé answered. She sighed. "Are the twins okay?"  
  
"I just checked on them. They're still asleep."  
  
"Alright. Thank you, Tahni. Good luck with getting your sons back."  
  
"Thank you," Tahni replied.  
  
Once she locked the front door behind her, Padmé went to her bedroom as quickly as she could. The twins were sleeping peacefully in their crib. Padmé considered waking them up to tell them that she was back, but decided not to disturb them. She was tired, anyway.  
  
She took a long shower, wanting to wash all of Vader's touches off of her, then changed into her nightgown.  
  
Vader had been correct about her tattoo - it was a black heart, etched on her chest, over her real heart. Anakin's name was written in silver letters in the heart's center. After the twins were born, Padmé had two smaller hearts added with Luke and Leia's names.  
  
She looked at the twins again before going to bed, and reached down to gently stroke Luke's cheek, then Leia's.  
  
"I am sorry," she whispered. "The next time Vader wants to see me, I will be more careful of what I say to him. I do not want any harm to come to you two."  
  
----------  
  
The next morning, when Padmé woke up, the twins were still asleep. She decided to go outside to the porch for a few minutes. Sitting out there would be much more enjoyable if the huge stone wall was not blocking out most of the scenery. She could only see the tops of trees.  
  
As soon as she left her bedroom, she heard a noise coming from the kitchen. It was probably Tahni; although it was unusual that she had just come into the house without buzzing the door first. Perhaps she had not wanted to wake up Padmé and the twins.  
  
Anakin was there.  
  
He was filling a glass with water, glancing at the drawings that Padmé had hung above the sink.  
  
"Anakin," Padmé whispered, stopping inside the entrance of the kitchen.  
  
He turned to her, and she saw the burn mark that was on one side of his face, and the scar on the other side, near his eye. Both wounds looked as if they had healed some since they were inflicted. The long-sleeved, black shirt he was wearing was unbuttoned, and Padmé glimpsed a few more faint scars on his chest.  
  
"Do not call me that," he said, drinking half of the glass of water at once.  
  
"My love...y-you're alive..." Padmé said.  
  
"Yes. I explained that to you yesterday."  
  
"But Anakin, Vader said that you--"  
  
"And I explained that Anakin is gone."  
  
Padmé stared at him. "So you are Darth Vader?"  
  
"Yes, I am," Vader said, setting the now-empty glass down on the counter. "Do you believe me now?"  
  
"Y-You left me. Why?"  
  
"I told you, I had to wait until it was safe to come back for you."  
  
"So I really did lose Anakin?" Padmé asked.  
  
"You promised him that you would always love him, no matter what happened," Vader said. "Do you now?"  
  
"I can't believe this is happening."  
  
"Answer me, Padmé."  
  
"Y-Yes, Darth Vader," Padmé answered honestly. She could not believe that she had been so full of hate towards him a day ago, and now she suddenly loved him. But she was angry, as well. Why had Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Mace Windu not told her the truth?  
  
"They lied to me," she whispered.  
  
"Yes," Vader replied, coming closer to her. He slid his arms around her, and she hugged him tightly, resting her face against his chest. He was really here - he sounded as if he had something of a personality disorder, but at least he was really here.  
  
"Why didn't they tell me the truth?" she asked.  
  
"Because Anakin is dead," Vader answered, "although the Jedi would claim that they told you the truth from their point of view."  
  
"I hate them," Padmé said, her lips brushing against Vader's chest. She knew it was wrong to hate so much, but it had not felt wrong to hate Vader for murdering Anakin, so she supposed that she had every right to hate the Jedi for lying to her about it.  
  
"I did not find out that I was pregnant until after I was told that Anakin was dead," she said.  
  
Vader touched her cheek. "I know. This is my house. That is why I sent you and the twins here."  
  
"I like it," Padmé said. "Except for the fact that I have to have a slave transmitter--"  
  
"There is nothing under your skin," Vader said. "Tahni lied and gave you a shot that made you sleep. I did not want you to try and escape."  
  
"I understand." Padmé kissed his chest. "I think the twins are probably awake now." 


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Learn

**-::- Chapter Fourteen -::-**  
  
Luke opened his eyes as soon as he heard his mother and someone else coming into the room. Leia continued sleeping.  
  
"Good morning, sweetheart," Padmé said, reaching down to pick up her son. She turned to Darth Vader. "Luke, remember when I told you that your daddy had to go somewhere? Well, he is back now."  
  
Luke looked at his father, now remembering seeing the blonde man the other day. "Dad."  
  
Vader took Luke from Padmé, and he knew that she was watching him, wondering if he had any idea how to carefully hold a small child. When Anakin was younger, he sometimes helped his mother watch a couple of the other slaves' children. But those memories were fading now, which Vader was glad for.  
  
"Wake up," Padmé whispered to Leia. She reached into the crib, and her daughter continued sleeping as she picked her up.  
  
Vader looked at his son, who would be the prince of the galaxy soon. Luke stared at the scar on his father's face for a moment, but after that, seemed to have no reaction to it.  
  
Leia finally opened her eyes, seeing her father. She reached out one tiny hand, and Vader was not sure if she was trying to wave at him or if she wanted him to hold her. Padmé kissed Leia's forehead and smiled faintly at her.  
  
"She looks like your mother, I think," Padmé said to Vader.  
  
Vader said nothing. He was not annoyed by the comment - he agreed with it, actually - but he realized that he had a new problem. Padmé seemed to have the idea that he was only Darth Vader whenever he was wearing that scary armor and mask, and that he was kind, sweet Anakin the rest of the time. He would have to show her who he was now.  
  
----------  
  
After Padmé gave the twins a bath and changed them, Darth Vader told her that he had to go somewhere and would be back later. He was gone for the whole day, and Padmé almost believed that he had not really come in the first place.  
  
But after she put the twins into their crib, while the sun began setting outside, she heard the house's front door open and then close. The footsteps were heavier than Tahni's. Padmé smiled and tried to keep herself from running to the living room.  
  
"I was starting to worry about you," she said softly as she hugged Vader. "Is everything okay?"  
  
"Yes," Vader answered. He held Padmé so tightly that she almost could not breathe, then realized it and relaxed his hold a little.  
  
"The twins are asleep. Is the other bedroom, next door to mine, really empty? I have never looked in it."  
  
"No. That is my room." Vader touched his wife's cheek. "You may stay with me tonight."  
  
"Okay. Anakin, I was wanting to ask you something..."  
  
Vader took one of Padme's hands into his real one, almost gently at first, but then he began to squeeze it.  
  
"I have already told you not to call me that anymore," he said, looking into her eyes. "Anakin is gone. More so than a simple personality disorder. Do you understand?"  
  
By the time he finished that last sentence, he had tightened his grip on Padme's hand so much that she thought her fingers were going to break. She nodded.  
  
"Y-Yes. I-I'm sorry," she said, starting to tremble.  
  
"Good." Vader let go of her hand. He put his arm around her shoulders as they walked over to one of the couches and sat down.  
  
Padmé looked down at her red fingers, then decided to ignore them. It had been unfair of her to not listen the first time he had explained that he was not Anakin anymore. She leaned against Vader, resting her head on his chest.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me at first?" she asked. "About what happened to Anakin?"  
  
"I wanted to take you back on my own," answered Vader, "but if I had not underestimated how loyal you were, I would not have wasted my time trying."  
  
Padmé nodded. "I cannot believe I hated you so much, just yesterday, and now I love you more than anything."  
  
"So you are going to join me?"  
  
"Yes." 


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Stars

Sorry that this chapter is so short. I wanted to update with something.  
  
- Draven Star

**-::- Chapter Fifteen -::-**  
  
That evening, while Vader was taking a shower, Padmé sat with the twins in the living room, trying to see if she could teach them anymore words. Leia was tired. She curled up next to her mother, on the couch, and was soon asleep.  
  
"Who is Leia?" Padmé whispered to Luke.  
  
"Sis," he answered. Then Darth Vader came into the room, and he added, "Dad."  
  
Padmé smiled as Vader sat next to them.  
  
Luke now looked sleepy. He leaned against his father and closed his eyes. Vader did not seem to mind at all. He gently stroked his son's head, and looked at Padmé.  
  
"We are leaving tomorrow," he said.  
  
"Are we going to the Star Destroyer?" asked Padmé.  
  
"No. To my house."  
  
"Isn't this your house?"  
  
"Yes, but I prefer my other one," said Vader. "And I believe you and the twins will be safer there."  
  
"Okay." Padmé looked at Leia. "We should probably put them in their crib."  
  
----------  
  
Vader's three-level mansion was as secluded as the other house. It was on the edge of a large lake, and had a gorgeous view of the water and the trees and mountains in the distance. Padmé saw why her husband liked it.  
  
The twins were not in the same room as her this time, but they were in the room next to her and Vader's, which was fine. They were probably getting old enough that they should have their own room. They also did not have a crib, but each of them had their own bed. Padmé supposed that they had outgrown a crib as well - and it seemed like just yesterday, she had gone to the doctor and found out that she was pregnant. Now she understood why her grandparents had always commented that she and Sola were growing so fast.  
  
----------  
  
That evening, after the twins were asleep, Padmé went out to the balcony of her and Vader's room. It was a clear night, and she could see the half-full moon and the stars. The lake was beautiful. In the far distance, she saw a group of tiny colored lights, which was probably the nearest city or town.  
  
Padmé looked down. She was on the mansion's second level. Below, there was not any kind of backyard - just a few feet of shaggy grass and patches of dirt, and then the beginning of the forest.  
  
Behind Padmé, the balcony door opened.  
  
She did not turn around, but waited until Darth Vader stood next to her.  
  
"I love you," she whispered.  
  
She was not expecting to hear that in return, but still paused for a moment before asking, "When do you have to leave again?"  
  
"In four days," Vader answered. "The Death Star was scheduled to be completed in two months, but progress is lacking."  
  
"Why?" asked Padmé.  
  
"Laziness, I suppose. Most likely, my master will want me to go there soon and terrify them into speeding up."  
  
"I am sorry. It sounds like a chore," Padmé replied.  
  
Vader pulled her close, sliding his arms around her waist. She smiled faintly for a moment, and glanced at the sky again, wondering which of the stars was Naboo.  
  
----------  
  
Padmé was tired. She took a shower and dried her hair, then put on one of the see-through black nightgowns that was inside her and Vader's closet. All of the clothes that he had gotten for her were expensive; the nightgown she was now wearing cost three hundred credits. It was noteworthy, Padmé admitted, that her husband had gone from being a slave to being the galaxy's next emperor.  
  
And _she_ was the next empress.


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Wondering

AdraLoran: No offense taken; I understand what you mean. Padme's thought at the very end of the previous chapter wasn't meant to sound happy and excited, though, more creepy and nervous.  
  
I deleted How I Spent My Sweet Sixteenth, in case anyone was wondering. There were a few things in the storyline that I don't like, and it was one of my earlier stories, so the grammar and punctuation sucked. I'm going to re-write it after I'm done with this story and Like A Ghost.  
  
**-::- Chapter Sixteen -::-**  
  
An hour later, Padmé was still unable to sleep, despite feeling tired.  
  
Unconciously, Darth Vader pulled her even closer to him. For perhaps the first time in their marriage, he was asleep before his wife was. Anakin had never fallen asleep until after Padmé was settled and peacefully resting.  
  
Padmé sighed, out of happiness and relief. She was still feeling some of the shock from learning that Anakin was not dead in the way she had been told. Since the twins were going to know Darth Vader as their father, and hear Padmé calling him that name, she wondered if she should ever tell them about Anakin. She would have to do that when they were fifteen or sixteen, and could understand that they should not even mention Anakin's name.  
  
Slowly, she shifted and turned so that she was facing Vader now, and did her best not to wake him. She softly kissed his bare chest. A question suddenly came to her mind.  
  
_Was_ Anakin even the twin's father?  
  
Padmé had no idea when he had started to become Darth Vader. She doubted that Anakin would have lied to her - he had made it quite clear, several times, that she was the only person whom he still loved and trusted. Padmé remembered pointing out, one of the times that he said that, that he loved and trusted his best friend, Obi-Wan, didn't he?  
  
Anakin had been quiet for a moment, then kissed Padme's forehead and said he wanted to get some sleep, since he would have to leave the apartment early tomorrow.  
  
She had known he was dodging the question, but did not bother him with it again.  
  
Padmé buried herself in Vader's arms, deciding not to worry herself or complicate things more. Even if he was Luke and Leia's father, instead of Anakin, she loved him, and the twins needed him as much as she did.  
  
A few minutes later, she was finally asleep.  
  
----------  
  
The next morning, while Padmé was making breakfast for the twins, Luke wandered away from the kitchen. Leia considered following him, but then decided to stay, not sure if her brother would be yelled at or not. She usually joined him in mischief - not that they ever got into much trouble - but sometimes she preferred to watch instead.  
  
Luke went through the living room and, as quietly as he could, approached the open entrance of the garage.  
  
One of Darth Vader's two speeder bikes was broken, though not seriously. It simply needed a new shifter, and he had three extra ones.  
  
Piloting and fixing things were two skills he had that his master did not. Palpatine, without guards and servants and Stormtroopers, would almost be helpless, except for his power in the Force. Vader had known several wealthy people who were like that, both unwilling and probably unable to care for themselves without credit cards and service from others. He would certainly not be that way, even when he was emperor. One of the reasons he had fallen in love with Padmé was because she was not stupid, greedy, or lazy, like many of the others in her higher, upper-class world of royalty and politicians.  
  
Vader turned and looked at Luke. The boy stared back at him for a moment, as if he were worried that he had done something wrong.  
  
"Come here, son."  
  
Luke went over to his father, who picked him up.  
  
There was a table behind them, half-littered with tools and spare parts. Vader set his son down there. Curious, Luke watched as his father began removing the old shifter from the speeder bike.  
  
"What that?" he asked.  
  
"A shifter," answered Vader.  
  
Padmé smiled at the two of them, then moved away from the garage entrance as silently as she could. 


	17. Chapter Seventeen: Weakness

Author's note: This chapter isn't very long or exciting, but I wanted to add something because I haven't update this story in over two weeks. Sorry.  
  
**-::- Chapter Seventeen -::-  
**  
While the twins were taking a nap that afternoon, Padmé found a few bikinis in her side of her and Vader's closet. She put on a black one and went outside to the balcony to enjoy the sun. Her husband had gone somewhere again, and told her that he would be back soon.  
  
There were no chairs on the balcony, so Padmé just looked out at the trees and the lake. The sun was warm on her back. Birds, perched somewhere, chirped. Padmé remembered that she needed to ask Vader if she could call her parents and at least let them know that she and the twins were okay.  
  
Someone touched her back. She shrieked.  
  
"I love you, too," Vader said.  
  
Padmé was glad to hear the words from him, even if they were sarcastic.  
  
"Sorry. You just startled me," she said. She came closer to him and took his hand. "Are the twins awake yet?"  
  
"No."  
  
Padmé smiled and looked out at the trees again. "They have been learning more words since we have been with you. I am proud of them."  
  
----------  
  
That evening, Padmé watched a holomovie with the twins in one of the living rooms on the house's second level. It seemed to be the one that Darth Vader liked most, since it was almost decorated. The carpet was grey, with a black leather couch and matching loveseat. Mounted on the wall above the large viewing screen was a krayt dragon's head.  
  
A large tank of water took up almost half of one of the small room's walls. Inside the tank were around ten beautiful fish, each one bright red with yellow and purple markings. Padmé was surprised that Vader had pets of any kind, until he mentioned to her that the fish had sharp teeth and could spit a liquid that would leave a burn on your skin for a couple of days. They seemed like animals that would intrigue a Sith lord. Luckily, there was a lid on the tank.  
  
Sitting on the couch together, Padmé and the twins were watching a horror movie. The two-year-olds did not seem to understand it, so she did not worry about them having nightmares. She thought that the dragon head on the wall might frighten them, but neither of them paid much attention to it.  
  
"Da-da!" Leia said when Vader came into the room.  
  
When he sat next to Padmé, his daughter stared at him, looking hurt.  
  
"Da-da," she repeated, crawling over her mother's lap to reach him. Padmé smiled.  
  
Vader let Leia snuggle into his arm. She was so powerful, with no idea of what she and her brother were capable of. That thought probably crossed Padme's mind sometimes, but in a more negative sense. She still worried about what was going to happen to Leia and Luke, even after learning the truth about her husband.  
  
Vader was not sure about what would happen to them, either. His master did not know about them yet, and he had been planning to tell him, but another idea had come to his mind. If he did tell Palpatine, Palpatine would most likely order him to destroy them. He would not trust their power and Vader's combined.  
  
As Leia fidgeted, trying to get comfortable, her soft hair brushed against Vader's real hand, and he wondered if he could kill her. He was furious at himself for this lack of discipline, and almost amused. After all of the Jedi he had killed and other lives he'd taken, directly or second-hand, a pair of two-year-olds could bring out warmth in him.  
  
"I think it's your bedtime," Padmé said to the twins. Luke had already fallen asleep under her arm, and Leia looked tired as well. 


	18. Chapter Eighteen: At Your Side

**-::- Chapter Eighteen -::-  
**  
The moon was full that night, and as Darth Vader and Padmé lay awake in bed, it shone through the glass balcony door, splashing onto the floor. Padmé closed her eyes, though she did not feel tired. She snuggled under her husband's prosthetic arm, resting her head on his chest.  
  
"I cannot believe how fast they are growing," she said, not needing to mention that she was talking about Leia and Luke. "Doesn't it seem like they were born just the other day?"  
  
"I have not known them for very long," Vader reminded her.  
  
Padmé opened her eyes. "I'm sorry. I have thought about you so much during the last two years that it seems like you have been there all along."  
  
"I was," said Vader. "Not Anakin. He is gone. I understand that it may be years before you accept that, but it is true."  
  
Padmé did not believe that completely. She decided that even after she was Lady Vader, and she and her husband were the new rulers of the galaxy, some small part of her would always love Anakin.  
  
Vader caught that thought in her mind, but had expected something like it, so he was not annoyed with her.  
  
"Were you happy when you learned that you are a father?" she asked him.  
  
"Pleased, yes."  
  
"There is something that I really want to ask you. Please don't hit me."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
Padmé kissed his chest, hesitating nervously. "Is Anakin the twins' real father, or you?"  
  
Vader touched her cheek for a moment, and she shivered, worried for a second that he was going to hurt her. But he did not. He was quiet for a moment.  
  
"I am not sure," he finally answered. "But that is not important. Do you consider me their father?"  
  
"Of course," said Padmé.  
  
"Then why does it matter?"  
  
"I was just wondering."  
  
Vader gently stroked his wife's cheek. "Do not wonder so much, Padmé."  
  
"I'm sorry. I cannot help it sometimes, especially when I am scared," she said, almost whispering. She shivered, and pulled the edges of the black blankets over them more.  
  
"If you accepted me, then you would not be afraid."  
  
"I love you!"  
  
"But you do not accept what I am now."  
  
"I..." Padmé was about tell him that he was wrong about that, but then realized he might not be. "I've spent over two years thinking that my husband was dead. Now I know he is not dead in the way I thought. It is just strange to me right now, but I will accept what you are now because you are my husband, and I will always be at your side and support you."  
  
Vader looked down at her face, into her eyes. "Good."  
  
She took his real hand and kissed it, then closed her eyes again. Within a few minutes, she fell asleep again.  
  
- The End -


End file.
